WASHINGTON — Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., was robbed Tuesday night near Capitol Hill and has returned to her regular duties.

Meng said in a statement released Wednesday by her congressional office that she was walking toward her apartment after dinner when she was struck in the back of the head near Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Her assailant took her purse before fleeing from the scene.

"While this was a frightening ordeal, I fortunately was not seriously injured," Meng said. "Obviously, things could have been much worse. I thank the U.S. Capitol Police and the District of Columbia Police for responding quickly and professionally."

The lawmaker was bruised on her chin and underwent a CAT scan at George Washington University Hospital.

Meng, 38, was elected last year to a district based in Queens. She is the first Asian-American woman to represent New York City in Congress. Meng, a lawyer, served in the New York Assembly before her successful bid for the open House seat long held by Democrat Gary Ackerman, who retired.

"It's nice to be a woman, and it's nice to be an Asian," Meng told National Journal before last year's election. "But what's more important is what I can bring back to my district."